Bushwalk Australia

Hi everyone, given the current self-isolation I'm doing some thinking on this thought bubble I've had for a while, to walk the entire coastline from Sydney to Melbourne. Is anyone aware of this having been done before?

Does anyone know the approximate distance of the coastline from Sydney to Melbourne? I haven't been able to find anything online, my vague guess would be around the 2,000km mark but I really have no idea.

Logistically I am thinking I need a packraft to cross all the estuaries (I counted 43 the other day). I'm also pretty sure I will need a reverse osmosis filter to desalinate saltwater, since I reckon there will be long stretches with no reliable freshwater. Best thing I've found so far is the Katadyn Survivor 6.

Let me know what you think!

You won't be welcome if you do it now. As you can carry the virus to places that don't have it.

So plan it for when this is over. National Parks NSW and State Forests are closed for camping anyway.
There are various walks that do some sections of coast ...

Take a look at https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?ma ... 3!151.6763 - click on 'ROUTES' on the right lower corner to see a list of routes in the view - hover over one to see it highlighted on the map - click on it to see details.

A group for ACF or a similar para-military conservation group did a walk like this in about 1995. It was specifically to raise awareness of coastal environments.

The big issue is how many of the headlands etc you cut off, versus go around- it makes a big difference in the distance and also difficulty of terrain.

You only need a waterproof pack cover or cheap lilo to cross the majority of the estuaries.

Clarence

Took me a few minutes to find this, I knew it had something to do with Gang Gangs . Although not to Melbourne it should help with an idea of the logistics of such a trip: https://www.gang-gang.net/nomad/southcoast/index.htm

This will get you half way there, Sydney-Mallacoota http://greatsouthcoastwalk.net/
With all that beach walking, you could end up with back problems unless your left leg is 3 inches longer than your right!

Here's a description of the whole walk, done by SBW members in 2008:

Maureen's Meander to Melbourne
http://users.tpg.com.au/dccarter/MMM/

Thanks for the responses so far guys! I'm not planning on doing it anytime soon, I'm in NZ at the moment, will be in a couple of years at the earliest. I reckon I'd stick to the coast as much as possible, but any headlands that I can't negotiate due to tides etc is go inland a bit

I have done the great south coast walk from syd to mallacoota - it was amazing. I am a packrafter but i chose not to take my raft due to the weight. instead I used my air mattress to float my pack across - the section past mallacoota would be more remote - but I got a lot of help crossing big rivers by fishermen, jet ski and even surfers. It is a wonderful hike

In 2018 I started from Sydney following the route of the Great South Coast Walk, with continuing on to Melbourne in mind. Life interfered and so far I have only made it to Mystery Bay. I carried a Klymit Lite Water Dingy as a pack raft and with paddles, an improvised pfd, dry/inflation bag for the raft and a few other accessories all for a weight penalty of 2.1kg. It was fun to paddle around the estuaries a bit and given I walked in Winter I was a bit of a wuss about swimming. Tides were a big consideration with considerable current affecting crossings. I didn’t bother carrying a stove as I was passing through a town most days for a hot take away meal. There’s a fair bit of cycle path walking in the first part at least as far as Kiama. If I did it again I would rent a bike to cycle the bike paths past Wollongong, they are available from a hire company that has them at a couple of the caravan parks. I would like to pick this walk up again but with the fires having affected the area south of Eden and around Mallacoota I am likely to leave it for a few years now. It’s a beautiful part of the world.


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In lockdown I got around to making a video of my hike Sydney to Mallacoota - i did it in November it was such an incredible trip. You absolutely should do it. I had no trouble finding water on this stretch as there are so many small towns.
https://youtu.be/y4QZ2ov4okY